1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to photovoltaic (“PV”) modules. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a redundant electrical architecture including one or more electronic devices for use in PV modules.
2. The Related Technology
There are two main types of solar collectors, including silicon and thin films, commonly used in PV modules, the solar collectors commonly composed of PV cells. Silicon is currently the predominant technology, and can generally be implemented as monocrystalline or polycrystalline cells encapsulated behind a transparent glass front plate. Thin film technology is not as wide-spread as the silicon technology due to its reduced efficiency, but it is gaining in popularity due to its lower cost.
Currently, the solar energy industry is looking for ways to decrease the cost per unit of energy generated by PV modules. One approach to reducing cost per unit energy is to increase the exposure of the PV module to solar energy over time. For example, the orientation of the PV module relative to the sun can be adjusted throughout the day and/or throughout the year. Changing the orientation of the PV module relative to the sun throughout the day and/or year can require adjustable mounting systems that are costly and/or complicated with parts prone to failure over the lifetime of the PV module.
Another approach to reducing the cost per unit energy of a PV module is to reduce the solar collector density of the PV module and concentrate solar energy incident on the PV module on the remaining solar collectors. However, conventional PV modules are typically very sensitive to and perform poorly under non-uniform illumination conditions that can be associated with reflector systems.
Additionally, conventional PV modules sometimes incorporate one or more electronic devices, such as power inverters, with the PV module. Power inverters and other electronic devices incorporated with conventional PV modules are usually sized and shaped such that the electronic device is mounted to the backside of the PV module. As a result, flying leads are required to connect the electronic device to the PV module. The power inverters and other electronic devices can also add significant cost to the PV module and are prone to failure.
Alternately or additionally, the electronic devices employed in conjunction with PV modules can have high power requirements, e.g., on the order of 1000s of watts, with leads carrying up to 600 volts which can represent a significant safety hazard for residential use. Typically, these types of high-power electronic components and devices are in relatively low demand in the world-wide electronics market compared to consumer electronics and are not mass-produced. Instead, these high-power electronic devices may comprise specialized electronic devices sold in low volumes at relatively high costs and low reliability. The high cost of the electronic devices employed with PV modules can represent a significant factor in the total cost of a PV system.
The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced.